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Monday, October 27, 2014

October: Moonlight Bicycle Ramble

Oh my goodness. SO. MUCH. FUN. Saturday night the Mister and I rode all over this beautiful city in the middle of the night. That's right, ladies and gentlemen - Westheimer, the Galleria, Allen Parkway, downtown Houston - all on bicycles! Seriously, we rode down roads that I avoid in my vehicle. The one with an engine.

We started rolling at the convention center at 12am Sunday morning. So many of the bicycles were decked out in rope lights and reflectors. (I'll definitely be decorating my bicycle next year!) The whole group was so festive and ready to go. The clock struck, and we were off!

Then we stopped at a traffic light.

Then another.

And another.

It took us about 15 minutes just to get out of downtown. By far our worst mile. However, it was one of my favorite parts of the ride; it was so surreal to ride down the streets of downtown with so many others on bicycles. It was a whole new perspective on home sweet Houston. Not to mention I got some serious practice with group starts. Good news! I did not crash or knock anyone over. So proud.

We crossed out of downtown, rode through Midtown, headed south through the Museum District (traffic circle, for the win!), meandered through West U, pedaled through the Galleria, into Uptown, across Memorial Park, and back to the convention center. All over this city.

My favorite parts were the Galleria area and riding through Memorial Park. I loved riding through the Galleria area because it's typically such a crazy traffic area. This is one of those areas Houstonians learn the back ways around. Traffic is always terrible. True to form, this was the most highly trafficked area of the ride, even at one in the morning, which is why I loved this experience. We were truly riding as another vehicle on the road, following traffic laws and showing our cycling etiquette. I find the idea of commuting via bicycle so romantic and free-spirited. Y'all know I'm planning on making a small bicycle trip of my own, before the cold whether hits. I would love to be able to ride everywhere, and applaud those who truly use their bicycles for transportation. Maybe me too, someday.

My other favorite was riding through Memorial Park. First of all, the park is beautiful. Second of all, we got to ride FAST. Okay, it wasn't that fast, but when you're averaging 7 mph with the traffic lights, suddenly anything over 10 mph feels like lightning. Sean and I had a blast.

We finished around 2:45am with tired legs and big smiles. The Moonlight Ramble was an incredible experience, and I definitely want to do it again!